Whenever I Say Your Name
by MsRaven
Summary: COMPLETE - A collection of scenes that eventually make up a story – I hope. Not quite a song fic. Weir-Sheppard pairing (of course). Rating just to be safe. Not a part of my Conversations Series.
1. Too Late

**Whenever I Say Your Name**

**Summary:** A collection of scenes that eventually make up a story – I hope. Not quite a song fic. Weir-Sheppard pairing (of course)

**Spoilers:** Everything up to The Storm to be safe.

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and its characters do not belong to me.

**Author's Note:** Okay…so this is one of those stories that start in the future (present day) and then goes back to give you background. Hope I don't confuse anyone. The song "Whenever I say your name" gave me the inspiration to write this story, so I'm copying the lyrics for you at the end of this chapter.

::::: Present Day: Atlantis :::::

Major John Sheppard comes through the event horizon at a dead run. His steps don't falter or slow down as he continues to run out of the gate room. John doesn't bother to look up at the balcony in front of the command center. He knows Elizabeth isn't there.

_Dear God, _he says to himself, _please don't let me be too late._

Sheppard receives looks of concern as he sprints through the halls of Atlantis. He ignores them all. He reaches the infirmary in record time, but stops short at the door, afraid of what's on the other side. John clutches his P90 to his chest as his heart duels with his inner demons. It doesn't take long for his heart to win out.

John walks into the infirmary, his eyes automatically moving to a woman lying on one of the beds. Elizabeth – his commander, now his wife and his reason for living – lies still on the bed with sheets now stained with blood. He's too late.

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_I promise that I'm still writing the next chapter in Moments in Time...but this story was getting in the way, so it had to be written first._

"Whenever I say your name"  
Words and Music by Sting  
Sung on the "Sacred Love" Album by Sting and Mary J. Blige

Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face  
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste  
Whenever your memory feeds my soul, whatever got broken becomes whole  
Whenever I'm filled with doubts that we will be together

Wherever I lay me down, wherever I put my head to sleep  
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep  
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way I'm calling out your name

Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon  
Whenever those dark clouds hide the moon  
Whenever this world has gotten so strange  
I know that something's gonna change  
Something's gonna change

Whenever I say your name, whenever I say your name, I'm already praying, I'm already praying  
I'm already filled with a joy that I can't explain  
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep  
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I got to lie awake and weep  
Whenever I'm on the floor  
Whatever it was that I believed before  
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying

Whenever this world has got me down, whenever I shed a tear  
Whenever the TV makes me mad, whenever I'm paralyzed with fear  
Whenever those dark clouds fill the sky, whenever I lose the reason why  
Whenever I'm filled with doubt that we will be together

Whenever the sun refuses to shine, whenever the skies are pouring rain  
Whatever I lost I thought was mine whenever I close my eyes in pain  
Whenever I kneel to pray, whenever I need to find a way I'm calling out your name

Whenever this dark begins to fall  
Whenever I'm vulnerable and small  
Whenever I feel like I could die  
Whenever I'm holding back the tears that I cry, cry

Whenever I say your name, whenever I call to mind your face I'm already praying  
Whatever bread's in my mouth, whatever the sweetest wine that I taste  
Wherever I lay me down, wherever I rest my weary head to sleep  
Whenever I hurt and cry, whenever I'm forced to lie awake and have to weep  
Whenever I'm on the floor  
Whatever it was that I believed before  
Whenever I say your name, whenever I say it loud, I'm already praying

Whenever I say your name,  
No matter how long it takes,  
One day we'll be together

Whenever I say your name,  
Let there be no mistake  
That day will last forever


	2. Thanks

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 2**

::::: Flashback: Cheyenne Mountain (During The Rising) :::::

"Major Sheppard."

Two words, softly spoken in a sea of chaos, immediately catches the Major's attention. He turns and almost collides with a Marine carrying what looks like a pretty heavy box. John apologizes and steps to one side of the crowded hallway. He looks past the river of people going by him and sees Dr. Weir standing in a doorway across the hall. Since she makes no move toward him, John assumes he's meant to go to her.

It takes him a few minutes to work his way against the flow of people heading eagerly to the gate room. By the time Sheppard makes it to the doorway, Dr. Weir has stepped back inside the small conference room. He walks in, closes the door, and leans against it dramatically.

"Whew!" John says with an exaggerated sigh. "It's getting a little crazy out there. You'd think everyone was getting ready to go to another galaxy or something."

He watches as Dr. Weir's lips start to twitch into a smile before she can no longer fight the chuckle that escapes her. John grins and is suddenly struck by how stunning his new commander really is. He's been in Cheyenne Mountain for a week has rarely seen her smile, let alone laugh. She's beautiful normally, but the bright smile and sparkle in her eyes almost takes his breath away.

They stand there, each of them wearing goofy grins on their faces. Things have been pretty stressful and it's nice to have a moment of relax. Weir is the first to reign in her amusement, but John takes pride in the fact that she doesn't look as serious as she did in the hallway.

"I wanted to thank you for choosing to come on the expedition," says Dr. Weir.

"Eh." John shrugs. "Antarctica was getting a little boring anyway. Having to thaw out your socks every morning gets old after a while."

Elizabeth can only smile and shake her head at Sheppard's outlook on life. His sense of humor is something she'll need to get used to.

"In any case," she continues. "I appreciate the fact that you're coming with us. I think you're a valuable addition to the team."

"You mean my genes are a valuable addition to the team,"John retorts. There's no bitterness in his voice, only humility with regards to his genetic necessity. Sheppard doesn't realize he's showing a crack in his normally over-confident façade.

Dr. Weir cocks her head to one side and looks at John pointedly for a moment.

"No…" she says. "I think you will be a valuable addition to the team. I think you'll offer a unique perspective on the whole expedition. Besides…I'll need some help dealing with all these military types."

Now it's John's turn to cock his head to one side. "Uh…not sure if you've noticed, but I am one of those military types."

"Are you, now?" asks Elizabeth witha raised eyebrow and a slight grin.

"Good point," responds John, matching her grin.

A loud crash outside makes them both wince. John looks over his shoulder at the door, then back at Dr. Weir.

"I should probably go help or something."

Elizabeth looks past him to the door. They can clearly hear shouting from the other side.

"No…" she says, motioning towards a second door on the other side of the room. "You should probably just worry about getting yourself ready for the trip. Armory is that way."

Sheppard looks back at the door behind him just as the argument out in the hallway rises in volume. Elizabeth gives him an I-told-you-so look. He shrugs and makes his way over to the other door. The door is almost closed behind him when he pops his head back in the room.

"And Dr. Weir," John says, making Elizabeth look up from the pile of papers on the conference room table. "Thanks for asking."

Dr. Weir doesn't respond, but her smile carries John through the next few hours until they leave for Atlantis.

_TBC..._


	3. Being Home

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 3**

:::::Flashback: Atlantis (After the events of Home):::::

"Hey Doc...Dr. Weir?...Elizabeth!"

John finally succeeds in getting Dr. Weir's attention. She jumps a little in her chair and turns quickly toward him. Elizabeth clearly didn't hear him enter her office.

"John," she says in a startled gasp. "Uh…Major. What can I do for you?"

Sheppard makes a point of closing her office door before sitting in the chair in front her desk. He's noticed that she's been a little out of it since their fake trip home.

"Well…you can start by telling me what's on your mind. You've seemed a little preoccupied since we got back from the planet. Feeling homesick?" John guesses. He knows she went back to Simon during their time in the false realities - they went over that during the briefings. Sheppard has to quickly stamp down the jealousy that he shouldn't be feeling.

"No," Elizabeth says with a small smile. She doesn't miss the flash of emotion that crosses his features when he assumes she's thinking about Simon. She's sure the look identical to the one she gets whenever he mentions spending time with Teyla. Elizabeth can't help but wonder when they'll stop being so juvenile. Or when she'll stop being a coward.

"I'm not feeling homesick," she continues. "Quite the opposite, actually."

"You've been spacing out because you're not homesick?" John gives her a look like he's not quite sure she's still sane.

"No." Elizabeth rolls her eyes at Sheppard. "I've been distracted because I'm feeling guilty about not being homesick for Earth."

John's brow furrows, so she continues.

"The whole time I was 'home', all I could think about was coming back to Atlantis."

"The grass is always greener?" John asks.

"See…I don't think that's it," responds Weir. "It's what I've been thinking about. I knew there was always hope that we'd make a connection to Earth again, but…"

"But you never really believed it," Sheppard finishes. Elizabeth shrugs and the reality of the sutation hits John. "You've always thought this was a one-way trip." He has a hard time believing that Dr. Weir could be so pessimistic.

"I've been telling myself and everyone else for months that Atlantis is home. I guess I truly believe that now because the thought of not being able to come back here, that you didn't want me back, was painful."

Elizabeth's words pierce right through John. The idea that he, even a fake version of himself, could purposely hurt her is unimaginable.

"I'd never do that," he states vehemently.

"I know that John," Weir reassures him. "That's one of the ways I knew that something was wrong."

"As long as we're clear on that."

Elizabeth has to fight hard not to smile at John's indignant tone. It was clear during the briefing that he had serious issues with portions of her fake reality. He took offense that anyone, evenGeneral Hammond, could convince Weir that Sheppard would willingly undermine her authority on Atlantis.

"What about Simon?" John can't help but ask.

Sadness comes over Elizabeth's features and John somewhat regrets asking her the question. But at the same time, there's a big part of him that needs to know what her answer is.

"I actually told Simon not to wait for me in the video that I sent him." Elizabeth lets out a derisive little chuckle. "Funny that I apparently still expected him to wait."

"Can't really blame the guy. I know I'd wait for you," Sheppard says before he can stop himself.

Elizabeth's eyes widen and she blushes. John is about to open his mouth and try to stumble through an embarrassing retraction when she gives him one of her brilliant smiles. It's one of the ones that make her eyes sparkle and he's left speechless, smiling goofily back at her.

Elizabeth, as usual,is the first one to break eye contact and redirect their conversation.

"So enough about me…what was it that you came here for in the first place?"

The suddenly guilty look on Sheppard's face makes Dr. Weir's eyes narrow accusingly.

"Major Sheppard," she says in her most commanding voice. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

John looks away and mumbles something under his breath. The only thing that Elizabeth can partially make out is the word "McKay".

"What was that about Dr. McKay?"

"Um…" Sheppard rubs the back of neck and repeats his comment with a grimace. "We kind of lost McKay in one of the transporters."

_TBC..._

_--------------------------------_

_No, I'm not going to get into what happened with McKay and the transporters in future chapters. Just thought I'd throw that in there as one of the wacky things I could see happening in Atlantis. But you never know...that could be another story. :-)_


	4. Back on the Balcony

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 4**

:::::Flashback: Atlantis (After the events of The Storm):::::

"Elizabeth!"

Dr. Weir has barely enough time to turn around before two strong arms wrap around her tightly. She knows without looking that it's Major Sheppard. Elizabeth can also sense a fear in him that has her instinctively hugging him back.

It's very early in the morning and Weir didn't expect anyone else in Atlantis to be awake. The events of the past few days have left her too wired to sleep. Her brain is busy re-processing every second, thinking of all the things she could have done differently – of all the things that could have gone wrong. She had given up trying to sleep about an hour ago and come out to one of the more secluded balconies that line the city.

Elizabeth really isn't surprised that John still managed to find her. There's a small part of her brain that tells her it's probably not appropriate for them to be wrapped in each other's arms. The bigger portion of her mind reminds her that all of her errant thoughts disappeared as soon as she was engulfed in his warmth.

John buries his face in Elizabeth's hair as a shudder runs through him. She pulls back slightly to look up at him in concern. It makes him unreasonably happy that she doesn't move completely out of his arms. He isn't eager to let her go just yet.

"John?" Elizabeth asks with her brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing now," he responds, pulling her close again.

Elizabeth rests her head in the crook of John's neck and doesn't miss the small sigh that escapes him.

"Tell me what happened," she prods softly.

John rubs his cheek lightly against the top of her head as he tries to block out the images that had him running out to find her.

"I'm going to sound like a complete idiot."

"Well…" she starts. He can hear the smile in her voice. "What else is new?"

Sheppard lets out a chuckle and gives her another squeeze. He unwraps his arms from around her, then grabs her hand, not willing to lose the physical contact. He walks them over to the balcony railing so they can sit along the ledge.

Elizabeth watches as John plays with their intertwined fingers. She waits a full minute before nudging him with her shoulder.

"You were going to tell me what happened," she reminds him.

"I was?" John nudges her back with a grin.

"Yes you were." Elizabeth squeezes his fingers, knowing that he's trying to distract her by starting the little nudge fight.

"I had a nightmare," John says sheepishly. "I didn't find you in your quarters and I knew you came out here to think."

Elizabeth's eyes widen in surprise at that revelation. She decides to save the balcony discussion for later and focus on the nightmare.

"You had a nightmare about me?"

"I dreamt Kolya killed you. That he slit your throat just to see me watch you die." John's grip tightens on her hand as the images assault him again. The pure evil in Kolya's eyes. The wicked twist of his lips as he spots John in the shadows. The surprise on Elizabeth's face as the knife cuts into her skin. The bullets as they thud over and over again into Kolya. The blood seeping through his fingers and mixing with the rain as he tries to keep the wound closed. The look of concern in Elizabeth's eyes as she watches the futile desperation in his.

Elizabeth watches as the emotions flicker over John's face. Her free hand unconsciously goes to the bandage at her throat. It could easily have happened the way John is imagining. She can still remember the edge of the knife digging into her skin as Kolya spun around and around trying to find Sheppard in the chaos of the storm. The single shot muffled by the rain. The splatter of blood against her face and Kolya's arms going suddenly limp. The wild look in John's eyes as he stepped out of the shadows.

The others found them like that, staring at each other from across the balcony, soaking wet in the wind and rain. They didn't break eye contact as Beckett ran to Elizabeth to stem the bleeding she didn't even know was there. Ford and Teyla reported in to John about the other Genii, but he heard none of it. At the urging of McKay, they were herded to the safety of the control room. They haven't been alone since.

"John. None of that happened," Elizabeth reminds him. "I'm safe. I'm alive because of you."

"You could have been killed because of me."

The self loathing in John's voice surprises Elizabeth. She turns a little on the ledge to face him and raises his chin with her fingertips. There's a vulnerability in his eyes that she's never seen before. She moves her hand to cup the side of his face.

"You didn't ask the Genii to attack us," Elizabeth says calmly.

"But I taunted them!" John says a little wildly. He tries to turn away, but her hand won't let him. "I took the Wraith memory device from them. My actions made an enemy of them. My God, I was wiling to give them a nuclear bomb!"

Elizabeth pulls her hand from John's grip to cup both sides of his face. It's hard to remember that, underneath his casual flyboy façade, is a man capable of so much guilt. John has had a lot to deal with since coming to Atlantis.

"Your actions saved Rodney and I. You were the only thing that kept Atlantis out of Genii control. You didn't give them a nuclear bomb and that memory device gave us valuable information about the Wraith." John tries to interrupt, but Elizabeth won't let him. "What? Are you going to bring up Sumner and waking the Wraith? I'm sorry, but that's old news. If you want to lay blame, then remember that I brought us here. We can't spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulder at things we may have done better. All we can do is make the most of what we have in front of us."

"How can you be so optimistic?" John asks.

Elizabeth drops her hands and John takes them in his.

"I'm not being optimistic," she responds. "I'm being realistic. We're bound to make more mistakes and I need to have faith that I picked good people. That we'll keep each other from making too many catastrophic blunders."

"We don't exactly have the best track record," John says with a wry smile. Elizabeth is relieved that his sense of humor seems to be resurfacing.

"So we have a low bar to aim for," she retorts with a grin.

Elizabeth turns her head to look at the approaching dawn. In the growing light, John can see the bandage on her neck clearly. He reaches up to touch it, careful not to put any pressure on the wound.

"Does it hurt?" he asks. "Beckett said you needed stitches."

"I think Beckett just wanted to practice on someone other than you," Elizabeth teases.

"Funny," John says, the word dripping with sarcasm.

They start to hear the sounds of the city waking up. Elizabeth stands and John follows suit.

"We better go grab some coffee before Rodney wakes up."

Elizabeth starts to walk off the balcony, but John doesn't move. Their joined hands keeps her from getting too far. Elizabeth turns back and John pulls at her hand, bringing her within inches of him.He reaches up and places his other hand lightly at the back of her neck.

"John?" Elizabeth asks, but she doesn't pull away.

"I'm just making the most of what's in front of me," he responds with a small smile.

John dips his head and places a soft kiss on Elizabeth's lips, then another before pulling back to look at her quizzically. There's no hint of reprisal or disapproval on her face, only what he hopes is anticipation for him to continue.

"No comments about fraternization between command levels being a bad idea?" Sheppard can't help but ask.

Elizabeth shrugs and wraps her arms around John's neck.

"You see," she answers after John folds his own arms around her, "the nice thing about my not being military, is that I get to make my own rules."

They grin at each other before their lips meet again for a much longer kiss.

_TBC..._

_--------------------------------_

_I know this isn't going to be how The Eye ends...but since it hasn't aired in the US, I'm making up my own ending. _


	5. Improvisation

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 5**

:::::Flashback: Atlantis (2 years after The Storm):::::

"Major Sheppard? John!? Are you okay?"

Lt. Ford gives John a not-so-subtle nudge.The Major has been staring stupidly up at Dr. Weir since the team walked through the event horizon over a minute ago. Elizabeth is starting to look very concerned - which isn't unreasonable. It's rare for this particular team to come back from a mission with no injuries.

_Great_, John says to himself, _she probably thinks I got another concussion._

Sheppard hears a snort from behind him and turns to find McKay barely able to contain his laughter. John gives the scientist a glare before looking back up at the control room to find Elizabeth gone. He looks around frantically and sees her coming down the main stairs to the gate room. He hands Ford his P-90 and runs to meet Elizabeth at foot of the stairs. John reaches her side just as Beckett and his medical staff walk into the room.

McKay earns a second glare from John when he lets out another snort at the sight of the medical team. Sheppard gets a thumbs up from Ford and a reassuring smile from Teyla before turning back to Elizabeth. She looks even more worried than before. Sheppard positions himself so he's between Elizabeth and the growing crowd behind him.

"I'm not hurt," says John quickly, earning him a look of disbelief from Elizabeth. "Really. I swear. The Melonians are peaceful and live in a civilized society."

"Then why are you back early?" asks Elizabeth, still suspecting that John somehow managed to get hurt, but didn't know it.

She looks around him to Beckett. The doctor is standing next to Ford, who has just finished whispering something in Beckett's ear. The Scot gives her a huge a grin, making her even more suspicious. John realizes that there's no easy way to explain all this and decides it's now or never.

"I came back early because I love you," he says.

Elizabeth looks back up at John with a raised eyebrow. This is definitely out of the norm. Although their relationship is widely know in Atlantis, they do not make a habit of public displays of affection.

"John, what—" Elizabeth's next question is interrupted when John gives her a swift kiss on the lips.

She opens her mouth to start again, but can only let out a startled gasp when John drops down on one knee in front of her. Her startled eyes meet his happy ones as John grins up at her. Everyone else in the room is forgotten.

"I haven't really thought this out too much, so this is probably going to sound sappy," John prefaces, before continuing. "I love you. You are everything I've always wanted and never thought I deserved. You make the fight worth fighting and life worth living. There's no longer a me without you. Dr. Elizabeth Anne Weir, will you marry me?"

Tears are streaming down Elizabeth's cheeks as she lets out a shaky, "Yes." John pulls a ring out of his pocket and slips it on her left ring finger. Elizabeth's eyes never leave his face. He stands and she steps into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. They share a lingering kiss before John pulls back to smile at her.

"What? You're not even going to look at the ring?" he asks.

"I love you, John. The ring doesn't matter," Elizabeth responds. John's smile widens.

"Okay. But humor me and look at it anyway."

Elizabeth pulls her hand out from behind John's neck and looks at her engagement ring for the first time. She lets out another small gasp. The ring is a simple solitaire, but the diamond in its center is absolutely stunning. It's a large, round, perfectly cut diamond that is the same sparkling blue as the ocean which surrounds Atlantis.

"How?" is all Elizabeth can say.

"It's a real diamond," John explains. "I had McKay check. Diamonds are apparently everywhere on Melona, so they've become experts at cutting them. The blue ones are rare, but the shopkeeper saw how I reacted when I saw it, so he gave it to me. He said he knows true love when he sees it and that the only payment he would take is for us to visit him together one day."

"It's beautiful," says Elizabeth, turning her hand to watch the diamond sparkle.

"So are you," John counters, starting to dip his head for another kiss, but they're interrupted by a loud voice from behind them.

"Enough of that, now!" scolds Carson. "Step away so we can congratulate the lass."

John and Elizabeth are surrounded by more people than they remember being in the room. A large number of the expedition team had trickled in during the proposal, alerted by Grodin at what was about to happen. There are hugs all around for Elizabeth, pats on the back and good natured ribbing for Sheppard. A bottle of Athosian wine appears, sending Grodin out to the mess hall for whatever glasses he can find.

Beckett hushes everyone and raises his glass, facing John and Elizabeth.

"Congratulations to ye both. And I think I speak for everyone when I say…" Carson pauses and looks pointedly at John. "Don't screw this up."

_TBC..._

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I somehow couldn't see Sheppard preparing some big speech. I thought that the improvised, from the heart, proposal was more like him. Hope you all agree.

And thanks for all the great reviews. Sorry I was absent for solong. I'm very happy that my stories are so well received.


	6. Finally

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 6**

:::::Flashback: Atlantis (15 months after the engagement):::::

"I, John Alan Sheppard, take you, Elizabeth Anne Weir, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward…through Wraith attacks and peace treaties, food rationing and bountiful harvests, killer viruses and miraculous recoveries…to love and to cherish for as long as we both shall live - in this reality and the next."

"I, Elizabeth Anne Weir, take you, John Alan Sheppard, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward…through hostage situations and heroic saves, year long droughts and generous traders, life-sucking bugs and defibrillators…to love and to cherish for as long as we both shall live - in this dimension and the rest."

The light chuckling that starts during John's vows gets a little louder during Elizabeth's. Only a glare from the officiant, Dr. Carson Beckett, keeps the assembled crowd from breaking out into loud guffaws. Everyone in attendance understands the bride and groom's desire to keep the ceremony light, but they also know how important this day is to both of them. After all,it is their fourth try at a wedding.

The first attempt failed when Teyla found Elizabeth unconscious in her quarters the morning before the wedding. An hour later, half the city was down with what turned out to be a nasty strain of the flu. John and Elizabeth spent their wedding day in adjacent infirmary beds with high fevers. Strike one.

On their second attempt, lightning struck – literally. The jumper that Sheppard and his team were on was struck by lightning on their way back to the gate. They crash landed in an open field about 2 miles from the gate, but it was too dangerous for them to try and walk out in the middle of a lightning storm. The MALP that Dr. Weir sent through to attempt contact with Major Sheppard's team lasted less than 5 minutes before it too was struck by lightning. Both sides decided it was better to wait until the storm died out. Nobody expected it to last almost a week – two days past John and Elizabeth's wedding day. Strike two.

Sheppard still claims that try number three shouldn't count. John and Elizabeth stayed ensconced in Atlantis for the two weeks prior to their wedding date. Too bad Dr. Beckett didn't take the same advice. On a routine medical mission to vaccinate a trading partner, the doctor was taken hostage by a fanatic who thought medicine was unnatural. It took both Bates and Sheppard's teams several days to track and rescue the doctor. They returned the morning of the wedding, but Dr. Beckett was too dehydrated to be much use as an officiant. Neither Elizabeth or John were willing to replace the doctor. Strike three.

A full month went by after try three and there was no new wedding date announced. The inhabitants of Atlantis were starting to wonder if John and Elizabeth had decided not to have an official ceremony. Rumors started to fly that the two were already married or that they planned to sneak off to another world to elope or, the most unlikely scenario, that they had split up. Another month passed and none of the speculations came true.

It had been almost three months since the last failed wedding attempt and the Atlantis crew had moved on to other, juicier, gossip. They had almost forgotten that their two commanding officers were still not married. Atlantis was not expecting the announcement that went out very early this morning.

"All available Atlantis personnel, please report to the Gate Room. I repeat, all available personnel, report to the Gate Room."

The Atlantis team arrived in the Gate Room to find Major Sheppard standing in front of the Stargate with Dr. Beckett. Beckett was in his standard uniform and looked like he was still trying to wake up. In contrast to the doctor, John was in his dress blues with a smile big and bright enough to light up the whole room.

As the room started to fill, the Major sought out three key people. Rodney and Teyla were sent up to the conference room. The scientist seemed a little dazed (he had clearly fallen asleep in his lab)and had to be prodded up the stairs by the Athosian. Ford initially looked confused when Sheppard started to lead him toward the gate, but when understanding finally dawned, the young lieutenant's grin rivaled his CO's.

The conference room doors finally opened, signaling the start of the ceremony. Teyla came out first with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the mainland and the assembled crowd automatically created an aisle for her to pass. There was an audible gasp as Elizabeth walked out on McKay's arm. Most of Atlantis had only seen her in uniform – their fearless leader. No one was prepared for how radiant Elizabeth looked in a white silk gown whose beauty was only overshadowed by the woman wearing it.

John looked and felt like he'd been hit in the gut with a cannonball. The sight of Elizabeth walking down the aisle – to marry him of all things – literally took his breath away. Ford stepped closer in concern and Sheppard was forced to give him a reassuring, although shaky, smile. When he turned back to his bride, Elizabeth's eyes were twinkling with mirth. John didn't need to know that it had taken the whole way down the stairs to recover from seeing him in his dress blues.

The ceremony started in earnest, with Rodney giving the bride away on behalf of Atlantis, Teyla serving as the Maid of Honor, and Aiden as the Best Man. It was a very traditional ceremony…until the vows.

Carson should have known the two would pull something. Those close to Elizabeth know that her sense of humor, while mostly hidden, easily rivals that of the irrepressible John Sheppard. And as if to prove his point, Dr. Weir turns slightly to the audience and winks. That's enough to break the dam of composure and the room fills with laughter, exactly as the bride and groom intended. Laughter is too rare of an occurrence on Atlantis.

Dr. Beckett clears his throat, trying to maintain his composure through all the laughter.

"Sorry," mumbles both Elizabeth and John. Neither look overly guilty over causing the commotion.

The crowd quiets down and the doctor continues.

"Do you have the rings?"

Aiden and Teyla hand them matching platinum bands. John looks deeply into Elizabeth's eyes as he slips the ring on her finger.

"With this ring, I pledge to you all my love and devotion."

Elizabeth copies the motion without breaking eye contact.

"With this ring, I pledge to you all my love and devotion."

A single tear escapes and starts to roll down Elizabeth's cheek. John reaches up and brushes the tear away with his thumb. Once again, all the other people in the room are forgotten.

"I love you," says John softly.

"And I love you," whispers Elizabeth in return.

Carson clears his throat, partly to get their attention and partly to clear the lump forming in his throat. There are more than a few sniffles from the audience.

"By the power vested in me by the great country of Scotland," John and Elizabeth both smile. Nobody would have guessed that Carson was a Justice of the Peace. He had apparently presided over both of his younger sisters' weddings. "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."

John sweeps Elizabeth into his arms, giving her a lingering kiss, and making Beckett's "You may now kiss the bride" a little unnecessary.

John's excitement overcomes him and he lets out a whoop of happiness, spinning them around in circles. All Elizabeth can do is hang on and laugh with absolute joy.

_TBC…_


	7. A Fitting End

**Whenever I Say Your Name, Chapter 7**

::::: Present Day: Atlantis :::::

"Elizabeth." John's whisper sounds loud in the abnormally quiet infirmary. The lone nurse who looks up from his wife's bedside is in stark contrast the chaos of activity from only a few minutes before. She gives him a sad smile of understanding before quietly leaving the room, presumably to find Dr. Beckett.

John lays his P-90 on one of the empty infirmary beds, not caring that he'll get hell later for contaminating one of their clean stations. He walks over to Elizabeth's bed and gazes down at her, unsure of what to do next. John brushes a stray lock of hair from her forehead. She looks so much more peaceful than he expected.

"John?" she asks. Elizabeth's eyes flutter and start to open, her hand automatically reaching for his in her half-sleep.

"Hey, beautiful." John greets her with a smile. "Sorry I'm a little late."

Elizabeth can only smile back as she struggles into a sitting position. John helps adjust the infirmary bed and she leans against it with a sigh. She looks up at her husband with a wry smile.

"I guess we're just not good at timing things the first time around."

John laughs, then places a soft kiss on her lips. Elizabeth can't be too mad at him if she's cracking jokes. However, John has been a husband long enough to know that it's not a good idea to bring up that she was the one who sent him off-world a few days ago. Before he can provide a different comeback, there's an all too familiar Scottish lilt heard from behind him.

"Well let's hope it doesn't take you four tries to get one right," comments Dr. Beckett as he walks into the infirmary. He strides over to Elizabeth and places a small bundle in her arms.

"This is as much your fault as it is mine!" Sheppard can't help but remind the doctor. "You told me not to worry. 'She's got plenty of time left,' you said. You promised me four more weeks. No signs of early-"

"John," says Elizabeth softly, placing her hand on John's arm and immediately silencing his tirade. "Meet your daughter."

The Major looks on in awe as Elizabeth pulls away the blanket covering the baby's face. Their daughter, sensing that she's being watched, opens her eyes to gaze at her father. John knows, from the books Elizabeth made him read, that the baby really can't focus on anything yet, but it feels like she's looking right through his soul.

Tears come, unbidden, to John's eyes as he sees their beautiful baby girl for the first time. Elizabeth watches, her own tears falling down her cheeks, as a look of pure love comes over her husband's features. John reaches out and unwraps the rest of the blanket. He counts all ten fingers and ten toes, laughing as the baby makes a swat at his finger with her hand.

"She's perfect," John says, still a little choked up. "Tiny, but perfect."

"Dr. Beckett said it was an easy delivery," Elizabeth comments as she tucks the baby back in her blankets. "No complications - even if it all happened a little faster than any of us were expecting."

John looks up to thank the doctor for taking care of Elizabeth and the baby, but he is long gone. Carson had snuck out, shooing Sheppard's team from the door of the infirmary as he went, to give the new family some privacy.

Elizabeth scoots over on the bed to give John room to sit. Her husband complies, wrapping his arms around his wife and daughter.

"So…are we going to use the name we talked about?" he asks.

They had picked out a girl's name they both favored, but had left open the option of changing it if the name didn't seem to suit the baby.

"Yes," Elizabeth responds. "I think it fits her nicely."

John snuggles his family a little closer. Elizabeth leans against him with a happy sigh. The baby, feeling safe, warm, and content, closes her eyes and drifts back off to sleep. John sends up a silent prayer of thanks to whatever gods deemed him worthy of all this and whispers his daughter's name for the first time.

"Welcome to the world, Alyssa Jane Sheppard."

_The End._

--------------------------------

I'm taking it as a compliment that some of you thought this would end sadly. :::grin::: It's nice to know that I'm keeping you all on your toes. This story, I knew I would end happily. Others I'm working on...I haven't decided yet. So you never know where my whims will take me. :::evil grin:::

What do you think of the baby's name? Alyssa because it sounds a little like the first half of Elizabeth with the A thrown in for Atlantis. Jane because I think it's like the female version of John.

I haven't decided if I'm going to write a sequel. (Even though the idea of writing John as a new dad or future kids does sounds appealing.) I think that two series are a little too much for me to handle right now. Maybe in the future.

I hope you all enjoyed this story, even if it was pure of fluffy shippiness. I promise that a new chapter of Moments in Time is coming up soon. Happy Holidays!!

_MsRaven_


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